Best Campgrounds near Fort Calhoun, NE

I arrived February 28 to visit the casino and friends in town. I couldn’t figure out where to check in so I called the number on the website. Turns out the RV parking is closed for the winter. Oops. But the gentleman on the phone was very nice and said I could park overnight in the North Lot. It’s just a giant parking lot but it is level. I would definitely stay here again but I feel bad. There is truly nowhere near Omaha to camp in the winter.

I have stayed several times. Quiet. Nice. Close to town, stores, food. $15. Night in 2025. Fair. Good place for quiet, inexpensive nights. Quite a good deal.👍

It’s been a few years since we stayed at Lake Wanahoo, but we decided to stay there over our anniversary weekend. The place is still great, and this time of year it was very quiet and peaceful.

I was able to fish at the lake, we used the trails for walking and biking. Being close to town allowed us to have a great anniversary dinner at a steakhouse!

We are definitely going to be using it more!

We didn’t get to see the camp area as it was closed for hunting season.

This is a no-frills stop off on a road trip kind of place. The bathrooms were pretty gross and there are lights on all night so hopefully you have a blackout tent or good shades on your RV. It's nothing to write home about but it was quiet and I slept well. I would stay again

It’s a good place for camping not perfect. Has a descent size lake good for kayaking and fishing.

If you don’t mind lugging your stuff to your tent spot, it’s primitive, no frills camping at its finest! We chose the closest spot to the vault toilets. There are only 4. It’s a bit off the beaten path but we got to enjoy the beautiful horses. Bonus!

I planned an event at this military installation because of pricing and being a gated community.  The prices are good and the overall area is clean but the reason for the rating given is below:

Due to this being a military site with a managed gate, ID or authorization roster is required...I submitted and got my roster approved within the allotted time only to find out that it was not shared with the gate guards so no one was being let in.  The keys for each facility had issues like broken locks or no pin code given for the key system to even get the keys.  The cabins are nice but not very well cleaned and the emergency phone number that is provided is a great feature although no one answered it. 

If you find yourself looking for a venue for your event, pass on this one.  Too much hassle for the money saved.  I wish the state of Nebraska could figure out how to hire competent people to manage their facilities.

This campsite seems nice, but with blaring Omaha heat and no trees, the heat here is absolutely brutal. It was mid July and still 96 degrees at 7:00pm, so I ended up leaving knowing it would be too hot for a comfortable night sleep. Beautiful view of the lake and short walk to the swimming beach.

Great spot! Easy on/off. Was $45 for overnight with amenities.

We opted for the free stay which was great. Nice, flat parking lot with other rv’s and tractor trailers off to the side.

Slept great. Used the casino bathrooms and really liked it for a free overnight. Casino is fun too!

Would def stay here again. Felt very safe and well lit. Noise was minimal and only came from the tractor trailers. If I had parked at the other end I wouldn’t have even heard it.

Got take out from Modern Love to bring back. Molo is amazing - all vegan and most GF too. Never pass through Omaha without a visit there. Great way to end the night.

Beautiful park, beautiful scenery and amazing playground!

This was the perfect place for us — just passing through on our way out to Wyoming. This camp ground is awesome all around — especially for tent campers. Absolutely beautiful views of the lake and so many open camp sites even on the 4th of July. I wish we could have spent more time here.

Populated but spacious. Friendly staff. Lots of greenery and trees. Only stayed one night but the list of activities seemed great. Safe, relaxing place. Bathrooms and showers could use some work but I was happy for a warm shower after traveling so long. Highway and trains can be heard from a distance but I found it soothing.

Clean and mostly well-kept campground. Much nicer than I had expected. Has on-site host, but we didn't see much of her/him/them. Had good cell service (ATT).

The only serious complaint I can make is that the water, while potable (so we were told), has a very, very strong iron/metallic taste. To the point that, for us, it was undrinkable.

The campsite we chose was level, concrete, and cost $20 (the site we wanted by the water had electric). Very little shade though, which made it really hot (other sites had more shade).

Other observations: 

The river current is quite fast here. I wouldn't plan on letting my kids or dogs get into the water, except to, maybe, wade at the boat ramp where it is protected from the current by small islands where the creek comes in.

They have a table near the boat ramp that, I assume, is for cleaning your caught fish. If it matters, it did not have running water.

The small dock from the boat access area felt unstable and one had to step across a couple of rocks to get to it from land, maybe because the river level was up(?).

Of the 4 bathroom/shower combination rooms in the bathhouse, only two were unlocked. That said, we were the only tent campers and the RV campers didn't seem to be using them. And they were clean and in good repair.

Our campsite was right next to the facility loading/unloading barges next to the campground. (They were unloading dried soybeans while we were there.) There are also security lights, but the light is mostly blocked by the trees at night. They start work at 7am and seem to stop at 4pm during the week. 

I would call this location reasonably quiet. But not absolutely quiet. There is noise from various sources at various times: the loading/unloading from the barges, the farming going on across the road from the campground, boats going up or down the river, and, minimally, the sound from the traffic on the highway. So not absolutely quiet, but it wasn't loud enough or continual enough to detract from the stay.

Lastly, it probably doesn't need to be said, but I didn't think of it before our stay (duh), so just a reminder. You're camping by a river (i.e., water), so there are many, many flying insects. Be sure to have insect repellent, as they are merciless.

Perfect place to get away for the weekend. Grounds are clean bathrooms are clean. Shout out to Dave the park ranger for being very generous. We drove from Davenport to stay here for Father’s Day weekend and we will definitely be back. You also can tent camp right next to the water as well. Love it!

A short drive from Omaha, two rivers offers generally clean TV and tent camping sites across multiple campgrounds. I camped right by the river. Also a short walk to the outhouse and playground. Fun and quick trip if you’re in the Omaha area. My boys (4&7) loved it.